Only four months have passed since Mark Teixeira officially bid his playing days farewell, but the soon-to-be ESPN analyst is already offering some insight on the Yankees’ level of talent at his former position.
“Chris Carter at $3.5 million is an absolute steal,” Teixeira told MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch in a telephone interview. “The guy hit 41 home runs, he can protect you at DH if Matt Holliday goes down, if Matt Holliday has to play a little bit of outfield, [Carter] can DH. If Greg Bird needs a couple of days off with his shoulder and doesn’t want to start against a tough lefty, [Carter] can step in there. I give Brian Cashman a lot of credit.
“I think you’re going to see Bird play a lot, and you’re going to see Chris Carter play a lot. I’m not sure exactly right now how Tyler Austin fits in, but the good thing about Tyler is that he has the ability to play the outfield as well. He’s a good athlete, and he plays a decent outfield, he plays a decent first base. If he has a good Spring Training, he can break the roster as one of those utility guys.”
Teixeira, 36, will join ESPN’s studio coverage of Major League Baseball starting this spring in Bristol, Conn., and expects to travel on the road for certain network events. He’s beginning to view the Yankees with a more objective lens, stating that the team will be “average” in 2017 as long as the youth develops and veterans stay healthy.
“The Cubs have everything in place right now that if every one of their players plays what is expected of them — not over and above — they will be the best team in baseball,” Teixeira said. “The Yankees have to all play better [than expected], but I think it’s there.
“You could see some of these young pitchers come out, and Luis Severino could win 15 games this year. You could have a guy like Michael Pineda figure it out and win 15 games. I think there’s a lot of upside on this team, but unfortunately because of the question marks, there’s also a lot of downside.”
Talking baseball in a television studio is the closest Texeira wants to be from the game. He doesn’t miss the grueling morning workouts. He doesn’t miss cross-country travel. The page has been turned to something new, and he’s content with seeing the game from afar.
“I don’t even look at it as a job; I look at it as something fun to do to stay close to the game, but not have to be full-time in it,” Teixeira said. “There’s a side of sports that is entertainment, and I think that being able to go on ‘Baseball Tonight’ or ‘SportsCenter,’ I’ll be able to show my personality a little bit more and also entertain.
“There’s zero itch. Mentally, I’m not even close to being prepared for baseball. Physically, if you told me that I had to go down to Tampa and get prepared for a season right now, I just couldn’t do it. I wouldn’t do it. I’m going to miss hitting home runs, I’m going to miss big wins, I’m going to miss hanging out with the guys. But the grind of getting through a season, I’m not going to miss at all.”
Teixeira hit .248/.343/.479 with 206 home runs and 622 RBI in eight seasons with the Yankees.
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